What determines the maximum RAM capacity a processor can handle?
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Theorectically the maximum amount of RAM a CPU can address is based on the addressing bits it has.
RAM is like post office boxes in that you can store stuff in them, but you need to have an address on each one to identify what’s stored where. The more bits of addressing space the processor can handle, the more RAM it can theoretically address.
An 8 bit processor could address 64 kilobytes
A 16 bit processor could address 16 megabytes
A 32 bit process can address 4 gigbaytes
While a modern 64 bit processor is limited to 16 exabytes or 16 million terabytes (TB)
But this is only partially true as hardware people came up with various workarounds to extend this. Later generation 32-bit Intel Processors like the Pentium Pro supported PAE (Physical Address Extensions) which allow it to address up to 8gb of RAM but with a cost of efficiency.
There’s also hard limitations on the motherboard and CPU as well.
Today the amount of RAM a CPU + mobo will support is down to how many RAM slots, data lanes, and the density of the RAM modules themselves. So a lot of modern Motherboard + CPU combinations will only be able to support around 32gb or 64gb. While Server motherboards and CPU can address upwards and over a Terabyte of RAM these days.
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